Tuesday, 20 October 2015

"What is continuous reporting? I want to
students to do most of the work. What can it look like?"

"How is
it possible to do e-portfolios with young children without using all my
personal time?

Can we even
do it with the technology we have in this classroom - one iPad and Apple
TV?"

The idea of continuous reporting is one that has great currency right now.
And, it is certainly as idea that is possible given the technology that is
available. However, moving to continuous reporting takes time and resources. It
is important to examine what resources you have to make continuous reporting
possible given your context. In the example below, I share the conversation I
had with Kari Nye, a multi-age 1 and 2 teacher in the Comox Valley School
District.

****************

Kari Nye posed the questions above when I visited her multi-age 1-2 grade
classroom this week. The context for her work is changing. There are massive
curriculum changes underway. Report cards are also changing but teachers are
being asked to explore different possibilities.How did I respond? I began with a question, "It is the fifth week of
classes, how are you involving students in the assessment process now?"

"We are looking
at samples of student's work and we are talking about quality work. I show
samples using the iPad and Apple TV. I ask students to share their ideas about
what makes it a quality piece of writing. Then I ask them for one or two ideas
that could make it a better piece of writing next time. I help students to be
very specific. We point to the evidence in the samples. We've been doing this
since the beginning of the year."

"We have
just started to co-construct criteria because the students are pretty good at
identifying quality in work samples I show. I began by asking them what are the
signs of a good drawing book."

"After
I asked students to choose a piece of work of good quality and put a pink
sticky note on it. Then I gave each student 5 sticky 'stars' to place on their
work to show evidence of each of the five criterion."

"I
typed the criteria up (see lower left of sample below). Then I met with each
student and they showed me the evidence for each criterion and they set a goal.
The goal was highlighted in yellow."

As Kari showed the samples, I thought about how she was preparing students
to be engaged in reporting - they were looking at samples of work, talking
about quality attributes, developing success criteria, talking about possible
'next step' goals and showing proof of quality.Then I asked, "How are you collecting evidence of learning now?"Kari showed me a collection of large sheets of paper folding into a pocket.
Each child had decorated the front of their own pocket. Inside each child had
stored some selected pieces of work.Then we had a conversation about reporting requirements and about the
reporting process. Kari's students will be part of a student-parent-teacher
conference. She wants students to be a large part of the reporting process. We
talked about the need to show student learning over time so parents could see
the learning. And the need for teachers to be present and involved as they need
to both make and be seen to be making an informed professional judgement.By the end of our conversation Kari had tentatively decided to continue
having students collect their work into the large pocket folder. And, in order
to help parents and students see progress over time, she planned to have a
simple portfolio (see sample in photo below) that would include a beginning
samples of reading, writing, numeracy and choices from early in the school
year.Then, before reporting, students would select another sample from the big
pocket folder showing their growth and improvement in each area. They would do
a self-assessment using a frame such as, "I used to... and now I...."
The four pocket portfolio could be organized by term (e.g. Baseline, November,
March) or by the subject areas (e.g. Reading, Writing, Numeracy, Choices). It
is a portfolio structure I have written about in Making
Classroom Assessment Work. It is simple. It works because it shows the
learning progress of each child relative to where he/she started the year.

The big pocket folder, the four pocket folder along with a student-parent-teacher
conference will be the major communication tool for reporting. Kari tentatively
decided to continue the report card with categories such as exceeding, meeting,
approaching and beginning because parents find the 'bottom-line" summary useful.We also talked about using e-PEARL
- an excellent portfolio program developed by Concordia University. Kari
also decided to NOT use an e-portfolio because, given the lack of technology
available in her classroom, she would be the one doing most of the work and
students would not have the ownership they need.

****************

In summary, as you consider the reporting process you have established and
since the primary purpose of all assessment, evaluation and reporting is
LEARNING, ask yourself,

"Will students learn from this
process?"

"Will parents learn about their
children through this process?"

"Is it practical and
possible from a teaching perspective?"

If the response to all these questions is, "YES!" then move
forward with your plans.If the response is, "Not quite..." then it is time to revisit and
rethink your continuous reporting plans given the unique needs present in your
context.Send us your questions and comments either below this post or via email.All my best,Anne

Wednesday, 23 September 2015

The 2ndAsia-Pacific EducationalAssessment Conference held early in September 2015 in Singapore was intellectually
engaging. The conference proceedings were international in scope. I appreciated being able to
listen to four other experts in the field of educational assessment as they gave their
keynotes on a variety of topics.

Audience members listened attentively and
asked thoughtful questions. During the ‘between’ session times, participants
were deep in conversation. And, the presenters also had the opportunity to
share ideas and perspectives with each other. We were a varied group and the
conversation was wide-ranging.

For two packed days, I witnessed educators
– teachers and school leaders - engaged in listening and learning about the
‘big picture’ of theory, research and practice in the area of educational
assessment for two days.

After the final keynote session was
completed and the last thank you’s and good-bye’s said, I found myself
wondering about intellectual rigour and engagement.

As I reflected on the conferences I had
been attending in North America designed for a similar audience – teachers and
school leaders - I wondered if the differences I had noted were substantive in
nature.

I wondered…

Are we challenging ourselves to look beyond
our context or do we just want to be affirmed that we are doing it the ‘right
way?’

Are we ‘North American centric’ or are we
open to learning about educational assessment – theory, practice and research –
from elsewhere?

Have we become consumers of the “fast food
version” of theory, practice and research limited to 140 characters-worth of
content? Or are we engaging in the kind of dialog that allows nuances to
surface and complexity to be acknowledged?

I continue to reflect now that I’m home.

Is my professional reading is more limited
than it used to be?

Are ‘Google preferences’ seducing me into
thinking that I’m right after all my internet searches turn up lots of
agreeable information?

Am I really challenging myself to be a
learner in the complex field of classroom assessment?

It is true that Canadians have passed a
‘tipping point’ when it comes to classroom assessment. There is huge agreement
on the importance of using assessment in the service of
learning, on triangulating evidence of learning
overtime so it is more reliable and valid and of the importance of leaders ‘walking the talk’ and using
assessment in the service of adult, school and system learning.

The classroom assessment
conversation is moving to a greater focus on ideas related to continuous reporting – How to do it? Who
should do it?How to make technology
invisible as we place students and their learning in the center?

These are good questions. They are
interesting questions. And yet, I wonder, are they the questions that will help
us meet the challenges the future holds?

Wednesday, 19 August 2015

It is August and for many educators (except those who have already begun the school year in July or last January) it means our thoughts turn to the approaching school year. I love beginnings! And it is in August that I've always set my goals for the year and made plans to close the gap between where I am and where I want to be. Yes it is true! It seems I live 'assessment for learning' in every part of my life.

This year I'm posting the FIVE most popular back-to-school posts people thank me for time and time again. That saying -- If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail -- comes to mind as I invite you to plan for the best year ever!

You might also find that making an assessment plan is a huge step-up to having a successful year. Download this Building an Assessment Plan from our FREE resources section of our website. It makes the whole process so easy!

Friday, 17 July 2015

What an experience! The institutes in
Hawaii in June and early July were packed full of enthusiastic and thoughtful
educators. It was wonderful!

During the two day teacher institute Sandra
Herbst and I focused our sharing on ways to involve students deeply in the
assessment process so as to promote engagement and learning. During the leaders institute we focused on indicators
of application – what does it look like when adults involve students in every
aspect of their learning by thoughtfully using assessment in the service of
learning.

We made lots of connections to the
beginning days of school and yet, as I was traveling home and thinking about
schools starting in early August, I thought that this post might be particularly
timely.

After all, clear expectations for behaviors
help everyone. Students come to understand what is expected by both their peers
and by the adults in the classroom. When students help establish the
expectations, they understand and are more likely to act responsibly within the
agreed upon limits. The first days of school are the ideal time to work
together – in fact, the first hours of school are the best!

Consider these steps:

1.Explain to students that
communities that work well together have agreed upon ways to get things done, to
get along with one another, and to take care of one another. Because we are a
new community, we are going to work together to define the way our classroom
community is going to operate.

2.Ask the students to
individually note a couple of ideas of things they think are important. Ask
students if anyone has ideas they will share with the larger group. Record all
ideas. Start a list on chart paper – large enough so everyone can see.

3.Then arrange students into
groups of three or four. Ask the groups to think about what else is important
so they will feel valued and respected. Ask for someone in each group to make
some notes so they can remember the ideas from their discussion.

4.Every few minutes, ask the
groups to share the ideas that are surfacing. Record the ideas on the chart
paper. If an idea surfaces that initially makes no sense to you, ask about it.
“Tell me more about why this is an important idea for you and your group.”
Often the elaboration surfaces more than one idea. Record all the ideas. Be
careful not to dismiss any idea. It is better to have duplicates at this point
than to convey to a student that their thoughts ‘don’t matter.’

5.Continue this process until all
ideas have been surfaced and recorded. Don’t worry about letting this process
continue over the first few days of school. Sometimes it takes that long to get
everything surfaced. Every interaction that occurs in the community is
potentially a source of ideas to debrief with the class. Interactions that both
‘work’ and ‘don’t work’ are equally valuable.

6.Once all the ideas have been
surfaced, it is time to group and sort them. A powerful process is to cut the
ideas recorded on the chart paper into strips – one idea per strip. Have
students each take one or two strips.Each student is to find other students with strips that say similar
things.Once all the strips have been
grouped, it is time to identify the ‘big idea’ that captures the strips in each
group. Then post the T-chart for all to
see.

7.Every hour or so, for the first
few weeks, pause the class in session and ask them to consider each of the
ideas on the chart. What evidence do they have that they are being a good
member of the community? Do this frequently. It is important to prevent
problems from occurring. If problems do occur then return to the list. What
else do we need to add to our list so our classroom community doesn’t have this
kind of problem again? Regularly ask students to reflect on the way the
community is working.Ask the students
to write in their journals, post on the class bulletin board, and debrief
during class meetings.

The classroom expectations, in this way,
become gradually woven into the fabric of classroom interactions. Part of
developing a community of learners is having everyone take responsibility for
their actions. This process helps teachers and students build a safety net
within which everyone can make positive decisions and become individually
accountable for their actions.

Wednesday, 17 June 2015

In North America, it is the end of one year. It will be the
beginning of another school year before we know it. As teachers engage in ‘end of year’ activities, we reflect back and plan forward for next year. They are having students do
the same.

Celeste Krochak, when teaching Grade One students in Winnipeg, invited the students to consider how they had "bloomed." She began
by reading Leo the Late Bloomer by Robert Kraus.

She asked them to reflect, How have you
bloomed this year in Grade One? Students shared lots of ideas.

Then Celeste had
them collect the evidence that they had bloomed – "What is something you did when
you first were in Grade One? How can you show that you have bloomed?"

Students thoughtfully examined their work from the year.

'What did they used to read? What can they now read?'

'How have they grown as a writer?'

They selected the 'before' and 'after' evidence of their blooming in a few areas of their learning.

It was so wonderful to see how the students had bloomed!

Teachers get to bloom too! It is one
of the best parts of being a teacher. We are also learners. That's why this is the time of
year when teachers ask, “What did I do well? What would I do differently? What will I do next
year?”

Teachers know the research evidence regarding the powerful impact of classroom assessment is
vast. We know that when students are involved in the process of assessment they learn more.

This means that while the work teachers do related to assessment and evaluation
makes a difference, the largest gains result from the work teachers engage
students in doing. It is easier to say than to do. That's why we celebrate the changes we've made to our practice and we plan to continue to improve.

When reflecting on the actions taken to
involve students in classroom assessment during the past year, there are seven
questions educators are asking themselves:

Was each student involved in the
assessment process?

Did each student know the learning
destination?

Were there samples or models to help them
understand quality and development?

Did students participate in the
co-construction of criteria?

Were students supported to be involved in
relevant and realistic self- and peer assessment?

Were students collecting, selecting,
reflecting, and projecting (setting goals) based on evidence of their learning?

Did
each student communicate his/her learning to others, both formally and
informally?

As you reflect,
consider using this simple frame:

I bloomed! I know this because...

Next year I plan to bloom MORE! I plan to...

And, like Celeste’s
students, challenge yourself to find the ‘before’ and ‘after’ proof of
blooming.

Then, celebrate the blooming you’ve done! And, put your reflection and the
evidence of your blooming into your professional portfolio.

Tuesday, 5 May 2015

Recently I was able to spend two days in Fort Nelson, BC with a group of dedicated high school educators. They were taking time to reflect on what was working in terms of grading and reporting as well as what was not working. Like other high school educators, they are serving students whose needs are changing rapidly. Using classroom assessment in the service of student learning, while being respectful of the curricula they teach and the policies under which they work, is a challenge. We all shared ideas and challenged our assumptions and our practices. One frame we used was, Reasons to and Reasons Not to... I enjoyed our rich interesting discussions.

As we ended, I reminded them that there are many 'right answers' when it comes to this work - 'right answers' that are respectful of students' learning needs, teachers' needs, and the outcomes of the curricula. And, that said, there are important guidelines that support quality grading and reporting practices. They can be summed them up with seven questions (Herbst and Davies, 2014). I invite you to consider your grading and reporting practices through this lens.

Question #1:

Are students' report card grades reflective of a student’s most consistent, more recent pattern of performance in relation to agreed-upon standards, criteria, and pre-determined levels of quality and given for the full range of educational standards or outcomes?

Question #2:

Are students' report card grades based upon a wide array of evidence selected because of its alignment with outcomes and standards and do they reflect informed teacher professional judgment of the level of quality of student work in relation to the standards or outcomes?

Question #3:

Have you ensured that students' report card grades do NOT reflect data related to factors such as effort, attitude, attendance, and punctuality?

Question #4:

Are students' report card grades determined after students have time and opportunity to learn, understood by students (both expectations and acceptable evidence) and after students have been involved in co-constructing criteria and collecting evidence of their learning?

Question #5:

Are students' report card grades derived from evidence of learning present, not absent (thus devoid of practices such as assigning zeroes, grading on a curve, averaging, penalty deductions)?

Question #6:

Are students' report card grades done in an environment where there are quality assurance and control processes to ensure consistency of interpretation? That is, are they validated by and anchored in collaborative conversation and analysis of student work against agreed-upon criteria, by teachers, across grade levels and subjects, to ensure consistency and fairness in judgment?

Question #7:

Do your classroom assessment practices support student learning? If not, how might you change them so that they do?

Saturday, 25 April 2015

My birthday is
coming up. Some people get super
excited with celebrations – whatever happens, they know it will be great! I envy them. It isn’t my
experience. Don’t get me wrong. I’m really appreciative to be healthy and
looking forward to another fabulous year. My family loves to celebrate special
occasions with me. What’s the problem? I guess I’ve yet to overcome years and
years of celebrating my birthday having just moved to a new community, a new
school, and not having any friends yet. Or perhaps it is the memory of my four
older brothers and their idea of having fun – so different than mine. All I can
say is celebrations of significant events planned by others can make me nervous. There are too many unknowns.

That’s why I have
always appreciated teachers who understand that children often see
‘celebrations of learning’ as anything but occasions to celebrate. Cresta McIntosh is a educator who gets it! I was lucky enough to spend time in her classroom as she was
preparing students to celebrate their learning with their parents with an
at-home conference.

We know there are
7 steps to students learning through the assessment process.

Cresta very
thoughtfully:

involved students in the
assessment process,

made sure they understood the
learning destination and the purpose for learning,

provided samples or models to
help students understand quality and development,

involved students in co-constructing criteria to build their understanding of quality and the
language of assessment,

involved students in relevant
and realistic self- and peer assessment on a regular basis,

involved students from
the beginning in collecting, selecting, reflecting, and projecting (setting
goals) based on evidence of their learning,

made sure students had a significant role in
communicating evidence of learning to others, both formally and informally.

When I was observing in the class, Cresta’s
students were preparing for an at-home conference. The students had been
involved in two at-school parent-student-teacher conferences at the end of the
first and second terms. They had experience selecting key pieces of evidence of
their learning. Now it is the end of the third term. The students and their
parents know the process. And Cresta, having supported students in this area
and observed how they have done, is confident students can conduct the
conference at home.

It was a privilege to be present in this classroom. Amazing learning conversations! Amazing evidence of learning collected and shared! Amazing commitment to learning by all.

I started by explaining why celebrations
make me nervous. It was because there were too many unknowns. That isn’t true
of the celebrations in this class. Students know exactly what needs to be
learned. They understand quality. They understand evidence. They have practice
using the language of assessment as they have engaged in self- and peer
assessment. They are ready to show how much they’ve learned. There is a clear
structure they have used at least twice before with their parents. There
shouldn’t be any surprises!

Sandra’s expertise, informed by wide-ranging practice and research, is enhanced by her compassion and humour. She has worked in both elementary and secondary schools as a classroom and specialty teacher, school administrator, and program consultant. Sandra is the former assistant superintendent of the second-largest school district in Manitoba and a past President of the Manitoba Association of School Superintendents and the Manitoba ASCD Affiliate.

As Sandra works with schools, systems, and organizations, whether in person or online, she tailors her work to meet the learners’ needs. She is a charismatic and highly energetic speaker and leader who is deeply committed to seeing the educational system contribute to the success of all learners.